Vindicator Destroys Panama
NCC Spaceport Very large and flat, like the NCC spaceport always has been, there remains the room for spaceships and aircraft of all shapes and sizes to land and take off, whether they're equipped with VTOL or not. The large hangers, warehouses for incoming supplies, and maintenance stations are still there, although now they seem to mostly exist on the northwest edge of the area. Where once the runways were silver Cybertronian, an impurity has been added to give the whole area a frost-blue tint. Also new are the rows of sharp, jagged, upward pointing structures to the north and south that crowd together enough to make passage difficult without flight. Beyond the southern border that these provide is the sparkling ocean, and far behind the north edge, the distant peak of Mount R'Lyeh can be spied. Past the hangers and warehouses is the raised structure of the Command Center, set atop a maze of metallic supports that appear to the eye no sturdier than dandelion fluff, but in fact are more than sufficient to serve as support for the Empire's commanders while at the same time cushioning it from the vibrations caused by the activities of the spaceport. Several passages wind their way beneath the Command Center, allowing individuals access to the Spinal Pathway without having to first pass through the nerve center of the city. Fusillade says, "Available combat-capable Decepticons, report in." Redshirt Catechism says, "Over and out, Tango Leader." Fusillade says, "Just be sure to bring a lot of presents." Redshirt Catechism says, "I'll be bringing the foxtrot and the whisky." Mid-afternoon gleams off the New Crystal City's spaceport. After sending out several radios, Fusillade paces back and forth alongside the Conquest II, glancing over her shoulder at the shadows falling from those passing overhead. Once several hard-hitting folk arrive, she ducks her head, and announces, "It's been pointed out to me by someone who will remain nameless that long-term, ah... pillaging? No. Long term... acquisition of resources from South America would be more feasible if there was no land access available to the Autobots. Now, initial shuttle response to raids so far south is the obvious, and feasible option for the Autobots. Ultimately they will exhaust their resources, making them unable to respond as frequently by air... and if they are blocked from the land, well, we will find it that much easier to help MSE with their grocery lists, as well as satisfying our own wants. We are going to sever South America from North America, Decepticons, that will be our primary objective. Damaging and destroying any shuttles they respond in will be our secondary objective." Shockwave stands off to one side, unmoving, and silent. He watches Fusillade intently: the sometimes gleaming gem for the Empire, sometimes bane of his existence has yet another chance to step up, and prove herself worthy of promotion and recognition within Decepticon ranks: he intends to observe and scrutinize every moment of it. Sunder is interested in wreaking havoc today, and it seems that an opportunity has presented itself to do just that. He purrs in satisfaction, his claws flexing as he anticipates rending Autobots limb from limb if they dare interfere. Soundwave, at a respectful distance, listens patiently as Fusillade gives her briefing, feeling admittedly curious as to the exact details of this plan, so he decides to make an inquiry or two of precisely that nature. "I must ask how you plan on achieving this, but, then, I presume you will explain on the way to our target." Catechism is humming "I've got Tango Shoes". Straxus knows why. She arrives, she salutes who she needs to salute, and that done, she just stands there, slouching. C'mon, bring on the mayhem! Fusillade waves everyone aboard the Despoiler. "I will explain en route, yes." Decepticon Shuttle '' ''The interior of the shuttle is very roomy. There is a highly technical cockpit that seats numerous bots at various stations, and a huge cargo area for additional troops or equipment. Fusillade flicks her gaze across those gathered, and elaborates as the shuttle rattles and goes through the motions of flight and re-entry. "There is an 85 foot difference in the upper and lower levels of the Panama Canal. There is a lake that drains into those locks. Failure of the lock system would flood the land downstream, and flood the entire isthmus, isolating the continents from each other. That makes a very big moat that the Autobots have to get across. In order to accomplish this, we will need to breach both the lock gates and their secondary locks at the upper ends of each chamber. There are six chambers, so I will leave to each of your capable hands to destroy these things in your own special way. Those things are made of a LOT of concrete, so we're looking to maximize the damage before the EDC or Autobots can respond. And trust me, they will respond, so be ready. Those lock walls are spread across three sites over the entire width of Panama, it will be necessary to keep in radio contact." Shockwave stands beside the pilot console, listening to Fusillade's briefing. Though he is present only in a support capacity, Shockwave processes through the plans over again, to either make the proper save should the assembled fail, or take the proper credit should they succeed. "Breaking concrete? Shouldn't be too difficult," Sunder says, rubbing his hands together in glee. His mind raced at the wholesale destruction he could cause with his machine guns and plasma. The anticipation was almost making him drool oil. Fusillade lightly adds as Shockwave continues to steer the craft, "Well, the dreaded Sweep ram could possibly see some use tonight." Outside, Panama Canal Outside, Servicing the world's shipping has recently become quite profitable for Panama, and under new government, the small nation has grown in power and influence to be a player in the world market. The entire country is filling up with businesses moving an office there to receive easy access to the canal without being taxed and tolled immensely. The Panamanians are all to eager to go to work in these offices, and people from all over are coming here to live. Soundwave looks over from the communications console, optic band flickering faintly as he speaks to Fusillade. "I have created an encrypted battle network for our purposes. Frequency is 145.10, password is: SinkPanama." A Man Catechism says, "Charlie me, Wilco me." Shockwave says, "Bumblebee and Spike here" Fusillade says, "Hearin' you loud and... what?" Soundwave says, "Ready for battle." Nodding, Fusillade says, "For this operation, we will focus on the Atlantic side of the lake. That will create the most damage for our time and effort." There's a vicious grin that spreads across her features. "We will breach the west most side first, which will cause the waters from the lake to drain eastward, damaging the support structures of the succeeding locks. Once we arrive in the air space, deploy from the shuttle and... do your worst." She raps knuckles on the bulkhead by the main hatch, and then lunges out the doorway once it opens up over the Panama Canal. Fusillade says, "Proceed!" You leave the Decepticon Shuttle . Sunder exits the Shuttle and grins widely before transforming to Sweepcraft mode. "They'll never know what hit 'em," he cackles, streaking off towards the locks, his weapons all warmed up and ready to go. Leaping into the air, Sunder transforms into a Sweepcraft. Catechism transforms into her alternate mode: a F-35, Marine Corps variant. Her feet flip up against her shins, her nosecone rotates through her body and out in front where it belongs, her arms tuck into her torso, and her wings rotate into position. Fusillade leans forward, wingblades whipping out to their full span, even as her arms lock backward in place as the rear fuselage. Her torso folds out to the become the cockpit of a Terran B-1B Lancer, ready for flight! Shockwave steps from the ship, and lands a slight distance away, keeping watch from one of the two Gatun Towers that are closer to where everyone is than the two Gatun Towers some might think he meant. B-1B Lancer plunges toward the two mile stretch of the Pedro Miguel and the Miraflores locks, wind whistling over her wings. To the west, the bulk of Lake Gatun glitters in the sunlight, deceptively placid in light of the pending doom. Sweeping over the western most lock gate of the Pedro Miguel, she rocks her wings, and echos out, "Easier pickings start HERE, Decepticons! Attack! Don't leave a single one of these gates intact! Once you've done your worst, take your pick of any of those cargo ships!" There's a cackle from her, as she sets to work, not sparing any time with lobbing 1000 pound bombs at the concrete walls. She knows full well that whitehats will be here in a circuit's flicker. Sunder says, "We are taking the bridges out as well, aren't we?� Is the flood of water going to take care of that for us, or must I shoot them all apart myself?" Fusillade says, "The flood should wipe them." Sunder says, "ahhhh.� Good." Soundwave rises up into the sky after departing from the ship, for better line of sight. He ponders the same trick he used on Gycony, wherein he confused the different pirate vessels into all sorts of calamities. Yes... maybe, with the confusion of the attacks, that'll work quite well. He places a hand to the side of his head, hijacking frequencies and impersonating canal officials... F-35B peels off in the direction of the Pedro Migual at the gates. To herself, more than anything, she banters, "The eigenvectors of a matrix give the principal strains. Well, so long as the matrix is symmetric. But ah, even if these gates start out symmetric, I doubt they'll be staying that way, and y'know, you've got to factor in that the principal sources of strain are Decepticons..." Her rockets are gone as she chatters. As the first of the explosions shake and rattle the gates, canal workers panic and scatter. Several of the braver souls man their emergency posts, but for the most part, the sight of aircraft and shuttles bearing that purple insignia overwhelms most. A false emergency evacuation clearance from Soundwave is received by a Panamax tanker. Its crew, desperate to save their cargo from Decepticon raiders, steams the craft full ahead, the multi-million ton craft doing a LOT of the Decepticon's work for them. There's a pop, crack, and squealing screech of protest from the gates as they strain... and eventually buckle. Sweepcraft heads for the closest gate, firing his plasma cannon and his machine guns simultaneously. He aims for the hinges of the gates, to try to wrench them right off their moorings. Allejandro Garcia of the Panama Canal Authority yelps out as Fusillade and a swarm of other Decepticons lambaste the lock gates of the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal, "HELP!� They're attacking the gates!�� Ships are running aground into the locks!� They're not going to be able to hold, the entire isthmus will be flooded!� EDC, Autobots, you must stop them!" Soundwave, impersonating a Latin American human in his voice, announces, "Autobots, EDC, disregard. No Decepticon forces present. Cause of disturbance was an accidental ship collision. Mobilization is unnecessary." Shockwave watches the mayhem begin, and settles into his position as an observer, allowing his mere presence to cause panic and chaos around him. Though he is inactive, the humans scatter around him, panicing. If Shockwave found things funny, this would be hilarious. And pathetic. Autobot Shuttle has arrived. Autobot Shuttle flies into view, engines roaring through the atmosphere as the heros came to save the day, clearly Soundwave wasn't clever enough to fool our steel hearted heros! Soundwave aims his concussion rifle at the grounded tanker. What precisely is it carrying? Fuel? Hm, well, due to the nature of his rifle, being a concussion weapon, the bolt isn't as likely to ignite the fuel as, say, a laser. He elects instead to utilize his shoulder-mounted missile launcher, and is about to dumb-fire them at the tanker when he detects interlopers-- "Alert, alert! Autobot forces detected!" From Autobot Shuttle , Ultra Magnus� pilots them in low, just now easing back the throttle, a putton push opens a set of doors in the shuttle's belly, "Strafe, Air Raid, cover our landing!" There's several long, ugly groans from the Panamax tanker's bow as it strains against the lock. The metal and concrete barrier itself shudders, and then, the white glitter of gallons of high-pressure water can be seen -- the first breach of the afternoon. Fusillade moves away from the mess around the ship, and begins to methodically strike the joints and seams of the secondary dams of this lock, about seventy feet away. Already the waters to the west begin to drain. <> From Autobot Shuttle , Air Raid grins at the Technobot. "Just don't shoot me, alright" He says, before palming the airlock open with one hand and jumping outside, transforming as he moves away from the shuttle. Air Raid starts to kneel, his legs folding beneath him as his arms are pulled into his body. The nosecone behind his head and the wings on his back each extend and come down, changing the Aerialbot into an F-15 Eagle. From Autobot Shuttle , Strafe gives Magnus a grin, and nods. "We'll slag those slaggin' Cons!" With that, he moves towards the entrance. "And not each other!" And with that, he hurls himself out of the airlock with Reckless Abandon! Strafe jumps up in the air like something surprised him, and then shifts and folds into his cyberjet mode. From Autobot Shuttle ,����� Spectrum grasps tightly to the seat, looking at the different monitors. "We're coming in hot Ultra Magnus!" He yells up to the commander, "Might be problematic..." He says, and continues to monitor the screens. Fusillade says, "Sunder, move ahead to the Miraflores locks!" From Autobot Shuttle , Afterburner cackles with glee, says something rude about Magnus, and loads his sonic blaster. "An air-to-air load of 12 AIM-120s and 2 AIM-9s is conceivable using internal and external weapons stations, as well as a configuration of six two thousand pound bombs, 2 AIM-120s, and 2 AIM-9s." That's what they say about the F-35. Sure, Catechism's an evil alien F-35 who breaks the laws of physics in an egregious fashion. It does, however, provide a rough estimate of her capacities. They're limited, compared to, say, that Lancer there. A Man Catechism says, "Once I burn through my air-to-ground munitions, I can transform and provide support againt the Autobots." Fusillade says, "Excellent, Catechism.� Depending on how ugly this might get, we might have to pursue some other destructive options. Stay close, and work on this one lock with me." Sweepcraft hears Fusillade's instructions, and heads for the indicated locks. He unleashes a firestorm of plasma upon the gates when he reaches them, melting the hinges down to nothing. There's a nearly kilometer-long tanker that's wedged itself between the first set of ruptured locks, and confused radios fill the air, courtesy of Soundwave. The Decepticons seem to be working methodically from the west to the east, chewing through the three locks. Each is buttressed by double walls, the first already breached, and the second set currently being worked on by the Sweep. Once the metal hinges had been loosed by Sunder, the main bulk of the retaining walls don't take long to collapse. Water continues to seek its lowest point, whipped into white foam by the intensity of the maelstrom surge, slamming smaller cargo ships against the edges of each lock. Crews scramble to stabilize the ships as they get washed away to the Atlantic. The sight of water flooding out of control elicits a cackle from Fusillade, as she flies in formation with Catechism to deliver the final punch to this set of locks. F-15 Eagle Fighter Jet kicks in his afterburners as he descends away from the Autobot shuttle. "Hey! Big dumb and ugly!" Hey, they're seekers. It doesn't matter if they're female. "Stop that!" At least he didn't say 'Halt, Evildoer'. He fires a few shots from his ballistic gatling gun, but at this range, if they DO manage to hit Catechism or Fusillade, it'll just fall without even scratching the paint job. Autobot Shuttle sweeps over the canal, breaking thrusters and air rakes slowing it's speed as it finds a clearing, landing scoots externding from it's belly befor resting, the ship rocking on hydraulics as the engines cut. Moments later a boarding ramp lowers, heros issueing out. From Autobot Shuttle , Ultra Magnus unbuckles, turning from the controls to his t.. one remaining passenger, "Let's move!" Cybertronian Cyberjet (Strafe)'s own engines roar as he sweeps down alongside Air Raid. "You ain't got the skills for proper insultin', Air Raid!" And with that, he sweeps in with his light pulse blasters spitting bolts of energy. "Yo! Ya oversized slaggin' Decepticon scum! We're gonna melt ya down and blast yer friends to scrap!" From Autobot Shuttle ,����� Spectrum runs out of the ship, once it has landed on a stable spot. His Ebony form appearing off the ship, Spectrum looks about the area. "Guess we gotta clean up this mess..." He says with a grin. Drawing his energy lance from subspace, the cyan blade blazes into sight. He wastes no time, as he rushes down to the engagement area. The water continues to surge below, emptying through the first two ruptured locks. The additional water swells Miraflores Lake, straining the two double-walled locks to its southeast. The higher waters of the Pacific crash hungrily, seeking to join the lower levels of the Pacific. Even as Fusillade and Catechism's efforts begin to weaken the first of the set of four, the air comes to life. The pattering of weaponsfire from Air Raid and Strafe interrupts them. "SMELT! I'm out!" Fusillade barks out in frustration as her payload is finally exhausted by the monstrous, sturdy barriers. "They're not going to let up. Time to break these things down MANUALLY if need be!" The bomber growls angrily, and then wing-waggles to Catechism and their escort. "We will sever these two continents," she decrees. Fusillade initiates a merge. With a shudder of metal, the Stratocons undergo a stunning transformation and combine into the mighty form of Vindicator! A sudden large loud thundering noise comes about....it seesm to be coming from the ground. Suddenly a giant drill comes flying out of the ground......its a brown Drill........Its NOSECONE followed by an orange Autobot cycle with guns (Afterburner). Suddenly.....as Scattershot lands behind the shuttle Scattershot yells "Technobots! Form Computron!" Scattershot initiates a merge. With a shudder of metal, the Technobots undergo a stunning transformation and combine into the mighty form of Computron! Computron strides in while making a series of computations. Soundwave glares at the Autobots for a moment, declaring, "As always, Autobots, you arrive after the damage is done. The Panama Canal will be destroyed and you can do nothing to stop us." Then, he turns towards the grounded tanker, even now still stuck at the first lock, the rushing water trying to pull it away. A plume of smoke erupts from his missile launcher, and mini-missiles streak towards the tanker. "Say goodbye to your fleshling friends." F-15 Eagle Fighter Jet is up/set/. He's more than upset. He's a very pissed off Aerialbot. "Aww, come on. Since when could Seekers do that? This is so cheating. Damnit, where in Primus' name is Silverbolt!" A gestalt fight, and he has to miss out on it. But then Soundwave does something stupid. "Hey, wait a minute!" And Air Raid rushes to intercept the mini-missiles, firing as he does so to try and punch them out of the sky. Will he be in time? Either with the bullets or with his own body to save the humans? Spectrum look about, trying to exactly figure out what's going on. Well it's obvious, but two gestalts now. This is gonna be an intense firefight indeed. Though it doesn't take long, as Soundwave's voice catches Spectrum's audios. Those optics of his turning to look at the Decepticon. Though, Spec watches in horror, as the 'Con lets loose missiles at the tanker. "Slag!" He yells, and takes off after the evil machine. He raises up his left pauldron, and the place where the 5volt charger is attached, it lets loose a quick shot of heated energy. Computron comes together and begins to compute the situation. "THE SITUATION: Decepticons attacking Panama Canal and humans. Decepticons present: Intelligence Officer: Soundwave, New Gestalt: Vindicator. Sixchanger: Sixshot, Sweep: Sunder. Situation is critical. PROBABILITY that Panama Canal will be destroyed if the threat is not neutralized....one hundred percent. Processing..............SOLUTION: Decepticon threat must be eliminated or canal will be destroyed. Only option avaliable is combat." Computron summons a giant red rifle out of subspace and begins to use his targeting systems to see which Decepticon is the greatest threat. Spectrum strikes Soundwave with Fire. The heroic efforts of Air Raid are rewarded, with the great majority of the colliding rounds igniting the air between him and Soundwave. Several puncture the Aerialbot's wings, small explosions trailing behind him. A few get past, however. With shrill cries, several of the crew members abandon ship before the bridge bursts into shrapnel. The water continues to froth, rising up to batter against the remaining lock walls, as the shadows of not one, but two gestalts now fall across the late afternoon land. Soundwave shakes a fist in frustration at Air Raid and his do-goodyness, and is about to reward his heroism with a concussion bolt when he is struck by a beam from Spectrum. The beam does not appear to do much--there's mostly a black spot on his hip from where it landed--but Soundwave nonetheless can't let such an attack go unpunished. Frankly, Soundwave is somewhat insulted by the Autobot's impudence, and plummets to the ground in front of him. Marching forward the rest of the way, Soundwave says, "You do not appear to be familiar with who I am. If you were, you would not have attacked me so foolishly." His arm suddenly jerks out for Spectrum's throat-- Soundwave strikes Spectrum with Choke. For his part, Sunder ignores the goings-on nearby, focusing instead completely on finishing the task of taking out all the locks. So far, not one Autobot has engaged him, so for now he was free to wreak havoc. He approaches another set of gates, melting down the hinges as before. Boil water to a furious rage. Add Seekers. Season with bomber to taste. Now behold the sundering titan, the giant born of the firmament, descended from its native sky to crack the earth. Vindicator glares at the circling Autobot, seething with decades of grudges multiplied by five, but no, now is not the time to wipe his obsolescence from the clouds. Now is the time for cruel efficiency. With steps of thunder, Vindicator charges Computron, aiming to grab him and toss him into a lock. Kill two birds with one stone. You strike Computron but fail to divert him from his calculations. Spectrum is grasped by the throat of the Decepticon communications officer. He chose his spot well, as Spectrum takes a nast blow to his neck. The Autobot's optics narrow on this 'Con. "I know who you are, and I think I did a smarter thing..." Spectrum is just a bit larger than Soundwave, and lunges forward at the Decepticon trying to throw the Mech off guard. Spectrum is a seasoned veteran of the battle field, and it will definitely take more to frighten him than just a track record. Using the close range to an advantage, Spec slams his foot forward at Soundwave. Spectrum strikes Soundwave with kick. Since Spectrum is dealing with Soundwave, Air Raid looks around for a moment. He knows there was another Decepticon he-ah, there he is. And the Aerialbot sighs. Why do they always leave the Sweeps for him? "Hey! Slagheap! How about you stop causing property damage, and deal with me, instead!" He raises his blaster and fires it to get Sunder's attention. "C'mon, girly bot." The underside of the F-15 comes out and down, as the wings and nose pull up and back as the fighter transforms into.....AIR RAID! Air Raid strikes Sweepcraft with Torque Rifle - Low Power. Computron is sent flying, hurtling through the air, systems reeling, big robots should not fly withouit the aid of massive rocket thrusters, but here he was, in the air.. if only for a short while. He came crashing down, slamming with full force into a lock of the Panama canal, there is a great splash of water and for a moment our titan of intellect cannot be seen. Soon however he raises from the waters and trudges towards dry land, speaking to himself as he hauls his bulk out of the water, "Datum: Decepticon Gestalt Speed impressive, Solution: Limit Mobility" and that's just what he intends to do, stomping across the distance towards Vindicator, it's optics ablaze with life as it enters the frey, both arms lifting on high above his head, fingers interlacing befor he brings them both down in a single hammering blow towards the Deceptticon Gestalt's head. Computron strikes you with Technobot Smackdown for 15 points of damage. =System Status= Damage Level: 95% Remaining Armor: 296 The air remains eerily silent of EDC forces as the audio specialists Spectrum and Soundwave square off, and the gestalts begin to pummel each other. The tanker appears to have come to rest to the side of that first ruined lock, all but forgotten as the Miraflores Lake level continues to rise ominously. Between Sunder's plasma fire, and the wicked *KLONG* of Computron's body being flung against the walls, they buckle, triggering another flood. Bluestreak races towards the scene, grumbling a few things to himself as he checks his weapon systems. He had been exploring the Ark, reminiscing, when the call went out--and he was too far away from AC to get to the shuttle in time. So, he instead drove all the way down here--hence why he's only just now arriving. The sounds of battle preceed the sight of what's going on, and he transforms to robot mode as he surveys the scene, trying to figure out what exactly is going on and who could use some help. Bluestreak fluidly transforms to his robotic mode. Soundwave releases his grip as Spectrum kicks him off, but his torso receives only a small dent. "A smarter thing? What precisely would that be? You are vastly outmatched." Soundwave begins to stalk towards Spectrum, a vibroscalpel appearing in his hands with a slight flick of his wrist. "However, I am curious as to what precisely you are supposed to be. Perhaps if I open your body and examine your internal mechanisms more closely, I will know the answer." Then Soundwave does the most horrible thing you could do to a PSP--he tries to scratch the screen! Soundwave strikes Spectrum with Vibroscalpel. The assessment by Computron is spot-on. Vindicator is quite agile. The impact resonates through its entire frame, sending the gestalt face-first into the rising waters. However, thrusters dotting the entire frame of the gestalt howl to life, biceps and heels raising the sleek, angular form. Vindicator takes to the skies -- its supreme element, getting range between itself and Computron. Several angry thoughts race under the steely facade, urgent. They crash against the wall of stoicism and duty in much the same way that the floodwaters do against the failing docks. Shoulderblade nacelles and tail-streamers flare out wide, before military thrust is engaged, and the gestalt surges over Computron's head. Air shakes around its form as it maneuvers to place Computron between itself and the locks. And then, systematically, the black and purple arm is raised, and the multiple warheads and muzzles of one of the Composite Blasters is levelled at the merged Technobots. "The power of an air force is terrific when there is nothing to oppose it." And then, two spirals of exhaust from stand-off land attack missiles plunge toward the seams of Computron's arms. You strike Computron but fail to divert him from his calculations. Okay, so maybe Sunder should have been paying more attention to what was going on around him. The blast hits him from out of nowhere. As soon as he ascertains who the culprit is, he charges towards the Aerialbot, firing his weapons. "Girly-bot, is it?" he taunts, "I'm more mech than you'll ever be! You can't even grow a beard!" Sunder misses Air Raid with his disruptor attack. Air Raid laughs then, diving out of the way of Sunder's attack. "And you can't even HIT me!" he shoots back, grinning. "I thought Sweeps were better shots than that. Heck, I've seen Seekers with better aim than you. And we know what collections of scrap they are." He charges Sunder then, extending his arm for a clothesline style attack. Computron reels as Vindicator's assault slams into him, driving him back and away from the flying Gestalt. Shards of armor fly from the besieged Computron as he steps back, one foot slamming back into one of the already savaged lock walls. "DATUM: DECEPTICON GESTALT FLIGHT CAPABLE. EXPANDED MOBILITY DETECTED. COMPUTING." And yes, Compy seems to be computing like a FIEND as he raises his arms. "SOLUTION: ANTI-AIRCRAFT BOMBARDMENT. COMMENCING." Yes, Compy is sounding a bit disjointed...but he's concentrating. And he keeps concentrating as he lashes out with focused sonic waves. Computron strikes you with Sonic Cannon for 8 points of damage. =System Status= Damage Level: 92% Remaining Armor: 288 Spectrum backs up as his optics stay locked onto Soundwave, though as the scalpel comes into the picture Spectrum just shakes his head. Though, a true villain this Soundwave is, as he slices a small openning into Spectrum. the 'Bots left hand moves up, as he feels the cut in his chest. Though it then moves back, and from subspace a laser pistol appears into his unused hand. "Ill show you what I am, you outdated piece of junk." Spectrum leaps back, trying to give him some space from the deadly blade that Soundwave has pulled out. Wasting now time, spec opens fire on Soundwave with a few shots of laser fire. Spectrum misses Soundwave with his laser attack. Bluestreak quickly realizes just what's going on--although it's not really that hard. Decepticons and Autobots fighting--good enough. He spots a Sweep flying around in the air and his optics narrow. He remembers the last time he encountered one of them (well, two of them, actually). "Payback time, Sweep," he mutters as he aims one of his shoulder-mounted rocket-launchers at Sunder while he's distracted with Air Raid, and opens fire. Bluestreak strikes Sweepcraft with rocket. Soundwave leaps backward, Spectrum's shots peppering the ground he was just standing on. He considers the Autobot's words--outdated?--then takes a look at his shoulders, which appear to have some sort of control mechanisms on them. Ah, yes, THAT is what he is. "I see. You transform into an electronic device intended for humans. A pity that your technological advancement only extends as far as your disguise." Soundwave raises a hand, but not at Spectrum--the palm is extended out towards that beleaguered tanker! "You do not appear to be able to impede my efforts. Therefore, I shall continue with my mission. And you will watch." None of the combatants hear anything, but the crew on the tanker--those still on the deck--clutch their ears and howl in pain at some horrible noise. And the metal on the tanker begins to buckle dangerously... Explosions, flooding, multi-ton monsters flying around, it's quite the unusual afternoon at the devastated Panama Canal. Several of the lock walls and gates have been ruined, with the rear wall of one lock, and the two on either side of another, still intact. Three more walls for the Decepticons to destroy, three more for the Autobots to protect. The intervention has stalled the Decepticons' nefarious plans, but the vicious fighting still threatens the stability of the remaining Miraflores Locks. As Soundwave does his worst. The screeching of metal from the Panamax's hull fills the air, before a sepia spray of oil from the front double-skinned hull erupts forth and fouls the churning waters. While the attempted "clothesline" is easily avoided, the rocket by the Autobot on the ground is not. It hits Sunder, causing him to growl. This is not good. There were at least three more locks to damage, and he wondered if he could hold out long enough to finish the job. Well, for now, he turns his attention back to the Aerialbot, determined to give back a little of what he'd gotten earlier. Sunder strikes Air Raid with ballistic. Vindicator may just have a wicked streak somewhere behind all that duty. More likely, the gestalt has just realises that Computron is drenching wet, and water with a decent dose of electrolytes, such as the water of the lake, conducts really, really well. Thunder gets all the credit, but lightning does the work. Aiming its composite blaster at Computron, Vindicator booms, "OUR ANALYSIS? YOU'RE SUNK." You strike Computron but fail to divert him from his calculations. Spectrum grins as Soundwave underestimates him, "Don't be foolish Decepticon, I don't just base how obsolete you are by just disguise, merely by your inability to comprehend what Im truely working for." Indeed, Soundwave has essentially left himself open to an attack. Lobbing his lance into the air, Spectrum catches it in the perfect position for the weapon to be thrown. He has to take the shot now, or Soundwave will probably take this moment to lash out with unknown ferocity at these innocent humans. A chain shoots up from Spectrum's right wrist, and mag-locks to the shaft of the polearm. The Autobot then heaves the deadly weapon at Soundwave, hoping for its aim to be true. Spectrum strikes Soundwave with Energy lance.. Air Raid weathers the attack, wincing as some of the bullets pierce rather deeply, but he shakes it off, grinning. "That all you got? Seriously. After outrunning Scourge," A lie. "And beatin' the energon stuffing out of Catechism." Also a lie. "You come up with that pathetic excuse for an attack?" His rifle is raised once more, and he checks the power gauge. "This is how real mechs do it." And unloads a full power blast from his torque rifle. < Air Raid strikes Sweepcraft with Torque Rifle. Sunder says, "I am in a bit of a dilemma here. I have two Autobots targeting me, and still three more gates to smash.� Shall I ignore the Autobots and continue with the mission?" Bluestreak frowns slightly as he's ignored. Well, that's just fine by him, all things considered. His head turns as he hears metal screech, and he sees the Panamax's hull release the oil into the air and water. "Ohhhh great," he mutters, rechecking his rifle to make sure that it's back up to full-power. He glances skywards as Air Raid takes the hits and considers his options. "Ah, why not?" He says with a grin as he takes aim and opens fire with his rifle, a bolt of blue lightning arching towards Sunder. Bluestreak misses Sweepcraft with his electricity attack. Indeed, Computron is standing in deep water. Blasts of lightning strike both the gestalt and the water around him, causing the waters of the Canal to glow a bright blue. For a moment, Computron stands motionless, electricity coruscating over his massive frame as the savage power of Vindicator plays over him. For a moment. "DATUM: POWER LEVELS UNIMPEDED BY STRIKE." Computron actually glares at Vindicator, and raises his other hand. The hand with the acid rifle of Scattershot. "DISSOLUTION OF DECEPTICON GESTALT IMPERATIVE. FOCUS ON FLIGHT SYSTEMS PRIORITY. COMMENCING FIRE." And then the somewhat expanded rifle speaks, launching a series of acidic spheres at the flying gestalt. And, of course...the smartest Gestalt EVAR thinks to get his foot out of the water. Computron strikes you with Acid Burn for 4 points of damage. =System Status= Damage Level: 91% Remaining Armor: 284 Vindicator says, "We must succeed. Continue with primary mission objective." Sunder says, "Acknowledged." < Computron's Acid Burn attack wears off at last. Soundwave says, "I will cover you, Sunder." Sunder says, "Excellent." Soundwave's contemptuous dismissal of Spectrum comes to an end when the lance spears into his left shoulder, knocking him to the side somewhat. "An excellent strike," Soundwave says, clutching at the lance with one hand as his concussion rifle raises up in his other hand. "It is still insufficient. Observe as I begin to terminate your friends." A loud KRAK sounds across the canal as a devastating bolt flies across--towards Air Raid! Will he notice that he's been targeted in time, or will Soundwave's deadly aim find another victim? Soundwave strikes Air Raid with Concussion Blast. The mission before Sunder takes priority over the Autobots who are currently trying to engage him. Thankfully, it looks like Soundwave has his back over Air Raid. "I have no more time to play with you!" he tells the Aerialbot--and the Autobot on the ground--"For now, property damage is my goal and neither of you will stop me!" He heads for the next set of gates, melting down the hinges as before. The acid strike hits home, metal searing and dropping away from Vindicator's right leg. There's a faint dip in its flight, before the gestalt splashes down into the water, floundering about briefly. The waves slosh against the banks and the locks, washing away the acid. A cold, calculating glint crosses the inscrutible black aviator's visor, before the simmering behemoth reiterates, "Pursue primary objective. The Autobots are secondary." With that, the gestalt turns away, its feet thump-thump-THUMP-THMPTMP as it picks up speed, and with afterburners lit, shoulder-tackles the fifth lock gate. There's a tortured squeal of metal and concrete as the already water-strained barrier shudders, its form buckling under the gestalt's mass. Spectrum points his left hand at Soundwave, and shakes his head. "Wrong, they will not be terminated by you. Each Autobot here can fend for themselves. Your fight is with me, coward!" He yanks his arm back, the chain goes taught and the Autobot tries to pull the lance back through the 'Con. Whether or not the polearm does any damage, it doesn't matter, "Your views on my reactions are weak, almost as close as you are!" He then lunges at Soundwave, making sure he has no other target but Spec. Spectrum strikes Soundwave with Blade. As Vindicator drops to the ground, Computron already began moving towards the Stratocon Gestalt. *THOOM THOOM THOOM!* Computron closes the ground as fast as a massive running robot can charge, both massive arms lifted above his head. "DATUM: VINDICATOR THREATENING HUMANS. SOLUTION: BREAK VINDICATOR IN HALF." The Massive Nerd of Cybertron barrels in on Vindicator, and brings his arms, hands clenched in a double-axehandle blow, crashing down towards the upper body of Vindicator. "Of all the slagging...." Air Raid starts, pointing his rifle at the Sweepcraft, then staggering forward as the blast from Soundwave hits him from behind. "Slaggit!" He says, turning in Soundwave's direction. "Bluestreak! Go peel that scrapheap open. I'll join you as soon as I'm done giving Soundwave a gift to thank him for that hit from behind." He raises his hand, and it slides open to reveal a short blunt nozzle. "As the humans say, 'Merry Christmas!'" It's true. He saw it in a movie. His null-ray fires towards Soundwave, even as he's surveying the situation. The Autobots could be in trouble. Air Raid strikes Soundwave with his Null-Ray attack. As Vindicator drops to the ground, Computron already began moving towards the Stratocon Gestalt. *THOOM THOOM THOOM!* Computron closes the ground as fast as a massive running robot can charge, both massive arms lifted above his head. "DATUM: VINDICATOR THREATENING HUMANS. SOLUTION: BREAK VINDICATOR IN HALF." The Massive Nerd of Cybertron barrels in on Vindicator, and brings his arms, hands clenched in a double-axehandle blow, crashing down towards the upper body of Vindicator. Computron strikes you with Double-Axehandle of Nerdy Vengeance! for 30 points of damage. =System Status= Damage Level: 81% Remaining Armor: 252 Bluestreak winces as the Decepticons destroy some of the locks, realizing why they are here. "You've got it, Air Raid!" He shouts as he arms his second shoulder-mounted rocket-launcher, targetting Sunder. "This worked once. Let's see if it works again." And with that, he fires. Soundwave staggers forward slightly as the lance is yanked back out, his shoulder sparking from the entry wound. Observing the Autobot leaping at him, Soundwave brings back a heavy fist, ready to smack him backwards as soon as he's in range. "Strange that you accuse me being a coward, even as I fight two Autobots simultaneously." His fist starts to come forward, and it's like a pitcher throwing a curveball special, so much so that it might make for a good cover on Sports Illustrated. The poise, the raw power--it would look so perfect, captured, frozen in time on a photograph. And, in a way, it is frozen in time, because Air Raid's nullray paralyzed him mid-strike, leaving him in that pose. D'oh. Vindicator may be lean and aerodynamic in styling, but it wasn't built fragile. It is 100 percent military machine, and it takes the hit. Oh, there's a visible gouge and sparking wires underneath. The collective shrugs it off. Several of its components have endured worse. Several just don't leaking care. The rest are silenced. Flicking down the Panavia wing-blades on its Magma legs, Vindicator spins, sweeping out a slicing kick through anything that gets in the way and, hopefully, into the last lock. �Sunder howls in pain as another rocket hits him, but he's not about to let that discourage him. One gate remains, and he concentrates on it to the exclusion of all else. Not even bothering to target the hinges specifically this time, Sunder just throws plasma and machinegun fire at the gate indiscriminately, almost as if he's in a panic. Well, he does want to finish the mission and get out without having to be carried out. Vindicator unleashes his Slicing Roundhouse attack on Bluestreak, Computron, Spectrum, Air Raid, Autobot Shuttle , Soundwave and Decepticon Shuttle , striking Air Raid, Soundwave, Computron, Spectrum, Autobot Shuttle and Decepticon Shuttle . Air Raid grins as his null-ray finds it's mark. "Hehe, that'll teach him." He starts to leap into the air, only to meet the ugly end of one of Vindicator's kick attacks. "Ouch." He says, as he goes flying, the kick caught him in his leap. He lands on his side, skidding for some distance. "I hate gestalts." He starts to struggle to his feet, trying to regain his bearings and focus on a target. "We may need to switch to rescue soon." He says, as his focus turns back to Sunder. Spectrum looks as Soundwave is frozen for the time, his optics looking over to Air Raid. Yet, this was his chance to gain an edge against the 'Con. "Thanks Air Raid, nice shot!" He yells up, and leaps into the air. Spectrum looks down at Soundwave, as his large form just looms over the communication officer. That laser pistol now being drawn again. "Lets see...oh yes, thats right. A shot between the optic visor." He says, and begins to rain energy down on top of Soundwave. Though gravity, plus the weight of Spectrum means a quick descent for the Autobot. Though what Spec doesn't realize, is that Soundwave will soon be free of the effects of the null-ray. Not only that, but the Autobot gets struck from behind by an attack from Vindicator. Spectrum's face grimaces in pain. The wicked blow from Vindicator smashes into Computron's chest, knocking the collected Techno's back and leaving a dent in the armor there. However, like Vindicator, Computron's got a certain amount of endurance. Still, the blow is enough to send Compy staggering back away from Vindicator. "DATUM: DECEPTICON GESTALT STILL ACTIVE. COMPUTING." Computron gathers themself, and charges back in towards Vindicator. "SOLUTION: APPLY ADDITIONAL FORCE." And with that, he levels his own wild haymaker at the Stratocons. Well...wild as a geek can be. He's actually aiming. Computron strikes you with Thunder Punch for 15 points of damage. =System Status= Damage Level: 95% Remaining Armor: 296 Spectrum strikes Soundwave with Laser. Bluestreak ducks and flattens himself against the ground, Vindicator's attack slicing through the air just above his door-wings. "Whew, missed," he says, quickly scrambling back to his feet. He glowers at Sunder, who seems to still be in the middle of attacking that last lock. "Not gonna back down, huh? Alright, fine then. Take this!" He shouts as he aims his rifle and fires, hoping that the lightning would hit the Sweep this time. Bluestreak strikes Sweepcraft with electricity. Soundwave takes the shots from Spectrum right on the forehead, the bolts marring the 'V' shape there. But that's not what really hurts him--what really does the damage is Vindicator's leg sweep, which cuts deeply into his chest and knocks him skyward. Second time that's happened! He's starting to think Vindicator is too dangerous to be around. But he has better things to tend to than his annoyance at friendly 'fire,' and instead refocuses his efforts back on Spectrum. He drops down besides the Autobot, and, trying to catch him before he recovers from Vindicator's attack, tries to clamp both hands on the sides of Spectrum's head. He then conducts deadly sonic waves through his body and straight into the Autobot's head. If successful, poor Spectrum will hear the following lyrics blaring at him: You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the dancing queen Oh, God... is that... Abba!? Lacking a proper conduit for the transmission of noise, the music comes out extremely high-pitched, as if it was being sung by anthropomorphic chipmunks. Vindicator moves back with the blow as the gestalt is struck a healthy blow across the jaw. Instead of staggering back, the titan spins with the applied force, minimizing its impact as much as it can and readying himself for battle. "If secondary objective is preventing primary objective......it must be removed." With a flash across its visor vindicator raises its right arm and fires a volley of rockets at Computron. You strike Computron but fail to divert him from his calculations. Another blast hits Sunder, and he's barely holding it together now. That Autobot must pay for injuring him. Vindicator can get the gate. He barrels towards Bluestreak, plasma cannon glowing and ready to fire. Sunder misses Bluestreak with his plasma attack. Spectrum slams hard into the ground, unable to quickly recover from the strike that Vindi has inflicted upon his form. The Autobot's hands move to the ground, as he lifts himself up. "Oh, did anyone get the number of that terran transport?" He asks, before his optics lock onto Soundwave, who's lording over him at the moment. "Slag!" He yells alloud, and actually lunges forward at Soundwave. He somehow avoided sound itself, and his left hand is balled into a fist. "You're music is outdated, Soundwave. Let me show you the new *hit*!" Spectrum strikes Soundwave with Punch. Rockets scream in on Computron, and the Autobot Behemoth Brane falls back under the pounding assault. "DATUM: UNIT VINDICATOR STILL IN ACTION. PROCESSING." He continues to fall back, and then charges back in again. "QUERY: BOOT TO THE HEAD POSSIBLE SOLUTION. TESTING." And with that, a sight that Should Not Be Seen is well...seen. That would be a gestalt trying to show that a Big Fella can still be agile. Yep, he tries this by going for a flying kick to Vindicator's head. "PREPARING FINAL SOLUTION." And with that, lights start flashing on various power systems on the big geek, especially around that nastybigevilcannon. Computron strikes you with Big Honkin Foot for 3 points of damage. =System Status= Damage Level: 94% Remaining Armor: 293 Bluestreak jumps to the side, plasmafire scorching the air and ground where he HAD been seconds ago. "Hah!" He grins, door-wings flaring. "Not this time!" He tries to time it right and kicks at the side of the Sweepcraft's hull, just to add insult to injury, really. Bluestreak strikes Sweepcraft with kick. Air Raid is calculating trajectories, possible opponents, and of course, how best to really louse things up for the Decepticons. If he could lift a giant tanker, he would, and go weld it to the gates on the opposite side. But since he's not capable of that, he considers instead that if there were no Decepticons to attack the gates, then there would be no problem. So he starts running towards Sunder figuring he's no use to Computron right now. < Soundwave's tape slot cracks from the punch, but he does not react much otherwise. Glowering down at the Autobot as he escapes the deadly Abba song, Soundwave retorts, "I have been lenient against you thus far. This leniency is at an end." He tries to grab Spectrum's head again, but this time he's planning to smash his knee into the Autobot's skull. "Die." Soundwave strikes Spectrum with Knee Smash. Vindicator takes the blow in stride as he slides to the side. The force rakes accross his cheek and leaves a small gash, but little damage. As the behemoth attempts to twist out of the way he backpeddals a bit. With a roll of its head and neck the titan raises the left arm formed by the seeker Bandit and aims it at the opposing giant. "Secondary objective wasting time and energon......" With a twist of said forearm, a volley of Apocalypse missiles emerge and streak in Computrons general direction. As they near the metal monstrosity, they fan out and slip around its frame homing in on another target. Within astroseconds the missiles strike the last available lock with a concussive blast that rocks the area. KAAABOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!! The last lock bites the dust, and the water begins to flow..... Sweepcraft is gratified to see that Vindicator has indeed completed the task. There is no further reason for him to hang around. His health is hanging by a thread; he'll be lucky to make it back to NCC in one piece. Cackling over the roar of the water as it floods past the last ruined lock-gate, Sunder heads back to base. "Another time, Autobots," he shouts over the din, "Right now, you have bigger problems!" < Sunder begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Autobot Shuttle , Decepticon Shuttle . Spectrum's head is grasped by Soundwave, though he has no time to reacts as his head is bashed in by the Decepticon's knee. His helmet shattering in the front. "Slag!!" He yells out in pain, before he winds both his arms back. "I've had enough of you as well Soundwave, lets see if you enjoy being my experiment for this!" Spectrum swings his arms forward, and out come both chains from his wrists. If he's lucky, they'll land clean. To add salt to the wound, energy arcs from these deadly projectiles, superheating the metal to a white glow. Spectrum strikes Soundwave with Fire. As the missiles streak in, Computron braces himself. And then...the missiles don't hit him. Instead, they blow the rest of the canal to pieces, sending debris flying to bounce off the armor of the massive Gestalt. Computron turns to look behind him at the rising floodwaters, and then returns his gaze, now actually looking like an angry Computer, on Vindicator. Indeed, almost reminiscent of Friend Computer! The great big glowy cannon comes up to bear on the Stratocon Gestalt, and Computron regards it coldly for a moment. "DATUM: PRIMARY MISSION FAILURE. SECONDARY MISSION STILL POSSIBLE. COMMENCING BOMBARDMENT." And with that, the cannon speaks! *KRACKA-FOOOOOOOOOOMBRAAAAAAAKPEWPEWPEW!* As the primary weapons of the Technobots fire at Vindicator, water sloshes against Compy's legs, making him shift a little. Computron strikes you with Techno-Cannon for 22 points of damage. =System Status= Damage Level: 87% Remaining Armor: 271 Bluestreak grins in satisfaction as Sunder retreats, but then realizes that the locks have now been shattered. "Oh slag," he says, optics widening as the water begins picking up speed. He glances around, seeing Soundwave and Spectrum still fighting, and his optics narrow. He sprints forwards, covering the ground between them quickly, and lashes out at Soundwave with a kick as soon as he gets in range. Bluestreak strikes Soundwave with kick. Soundwave says, "Objective achieved. Return to base." Air Raid growls softly. "Slaggit." He leaps into the air then, "We need to get rescuing some of these people." He transforms, heading for a knot of humans that are in danger of getting overwhelmed by the flood waters. Bandit says, " RETURN TO BASE....." Soundwave is rakes by the chains, but they appear to do little damage on top of what has already been done. Bluestreak's kick likewise causes only a minor dent in his armor. "Pathetic," Soundwave says. "I would remain to finish you off, but that would be a waste of resources." He turns around, and leaps into the air, soaring away from the Autobots. "Additionally, your human friends do not appear to be swimming very successfully. You might want to help them." Soundwave begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Bluestreak, Vindicator, Spectrum, Air Raid, Autobot Shuttle , Decepticon Shuttle . Vindicator is blasted hard by that blow and it hits him dead center. The behemoth flies backwards and falls to one knee. As it rises from the smoke and crackling of some of its exposed parts it makes as if it is going to rush in and tear Computron apart, but in mid stride the gestalt stops, schreeching to a halt. "Objective met.....new orders recieved......" with that the triumphant gestalt launches into the air and separates into its jet components as if they were performing an aerial fan out maneuver. Each jet retreats at maximum speed. Vindicator separates into the individual Stratocons. Spectrum look down at the struggling humans, and scowls up at Soundwave. "Coward!" He yells out, and raises his laser pistol up, and fires off a shot. Though he didn't even try to hit, he has to get down to the humans and quick, it was more of a random 'hoping to hit' shot. Though the weapons are stored in subspace, and Spectrum is off to assist the Terrans. Computron stares for a brief moment as the Stratocons separate and fly away, and then turns back to the problem at hand. "DATUM: FLOOD WATERS RISING TOO QUICKLY FOR HUMANS TO SURVIVE. SOLUTION: EVACUATE HUMANS BY PRESENT TRANSPORTATION. LOAD ALL HUMANS ABOARD SHUTTLE FOR EVACUATION." And then he proceeds to attempt to slow the floodwaters with the bulk of his own form, lifting large pieces of rubble and attempting to fill in the holes in the locks, a la the Dutchboy of legend. Bluestreak grumbles something under his breath as Soundwave retreats. He's probably been around Sideswipe too much lately. "Typical 'Con," he comments as he follows Spectrum, letting the Tapemaster get away. He would ask Spectrum if he is alright, but he looks down at the raging waters below and decides to focus on more pressing issues. "Man, I hate it when a 'Con is right," he complains softly as he joins in evacuating the humans from the area. Reports Message: 9/4................Posted........Author Panama Canal Devastation....Tue May 01....Fulcrum ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *A young male Peruvian reporter appears on live camera feed, his black hair tousled by a harrowing night of frantic rushing about* This is Gerardo Bellodas, of FE TV Canal 5, reporting from the carnage that is the Panama Canal. We are overlooking an unbelievable path of destruction caused last night by the Decepticons from our vantage point on the evacuation line. *the camera pans from the security perimeter out over an oil-slick covered swampland and brown, rampaging river rapids* These waters from Lake Gatun and Miraflores Lake have been unleashed and are running unchecked toward the Atlantic Ocean. The entire Atlantic side of the Panama Canals lock system has been systematically destroyed. It all started with an aerial blitz by ground-attack aircraft, bombers, and Sweepcraft (cut to blurred video clip of Sunder and the Stratocons zooming past). Sabotage of communications (insert image of Soundwave squaring off with Spectrum and Air Raid) resulted in a Panamax-class oil tanker ramming the lock gates, setting into motion a chain-reaction of deadly events. Visible behind me is the oil-slick caused by the break in one of its double-hulled compartments. Waters from Lake Gatun to the northwest flooded the Culebra cut, washing away most of the Centennial Bridge. EDC and Protectorate forces were conspicuous in their absence, possibly still detained by airspace disputes with the Mexican local militia. These terrible, wretched Decepticons did not back when our Autobot saviors arrived. Instead, their planes combined into a larger robot never seen before on Earth. The Autobots countered with Computron, but the Sweep and merged planes moved through the rising waters of Miraflores Lake to continue their path of destruction. The Miraflores Locks were also broken, the domino effect continuing until the Bridge of the Americas was also hit by flood waters, taking a great deal of washout damage. Unconfirmed reports indicate several canal workers were electrocuted during the battle of the behemoths (insert image of Computron double-fist slamming down atop Vindicators helmet), with many more reported missing and feared dead. Many areas downstream are still flooded, and people are still looking for evacuation. Aerial photography indicates that the bulk of the isthmus has been cut in half by the floodwaters. The few intact roads and bridges by the Pacific-side Gatun Locks are jam-packed with evacuees. The chaos is staggering, the suddenness and irrationality frightening and heart-breaking. We are left confused, scared by the impunity of these invaders. The families of those who died here, of those who continue to suffer here, the Panamanian people, and the world, cry out: We have done nothing wrong! Leave us and our planet alone. This is Gerardo Bellodas, of FE TV Canal 5, reporting. *end*